In late July, Congress actually agreed on something: House and Senate committees announced plans to add $82 million for Tomahawk cruise missile production in 2015. The venerable cruise missile is coming back, and coming back smarter and stronger.

In the decade following 9/11, missiles mostly sat on the sidelines while the United States engaged mostly in battles against insurgents. But the age of the cruise missile has returned with violent fanfare. On March 19, 2011 the Western world was reminded of the power of Tomahawk missiles; that night more than 100 missiles launched from U.S. and U.K. ships and submarines crossed into Libyan airspace and descended on targets belonging to the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. This opening salvo targeted airfields, command and control centers, and anti-aircraft radar, paving the way for airstrikes that led to a regime change.

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Missiles are the marquee weapon system of the 21st century. Enemy radar and air defenses are getting better, and the ranges of missiles operated by potential foes are getting longer. That means the number of planes the U.S. can place into a war zone is decreasing. These trends make a ripe market for the 18-foot-long Tomahawk missile. "There is no target on earth that the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy cannot hold at risk with the Tomahawk," says Roy Donelson, Tomahawk program director for Raytheon defense systems.

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But that doesn't mean the missile can't get smarter. For example: "The U.S. Navy and Raytheon are collaborating on a program that will provide the Tomahawk with rapid in-flight target updates that enable the weapon to engage moving targets," Donelson tells PM.

To hunt prey on the move, the Tomahawk needed new eyes—what experts call an electronic support measure, or ESM. This basically means the missile will get an antenna that picks up the target's electromagnetic signature, such as radar and radio emissions. The missile can identify a target by the electromagnetic signature the target emits, such as the radio waves coming from a radar. When the missile gets close, a radiofrequency seeker switches on; it can also automatically and more confidently identify a target by its emissions. And there will be a two-way satellite link that enables controllers to redirect the missile while it's flying. Donelson says all of these systems will be demonstrated in early 2015.

The missile also needed new teeth. The Pentagon developed the Joint Multi-Effects Warhead System (JMEWS), a shaped charge that will enable the Tomahawk to expand its current target set by using leftover fuel to destroy large building complexes (the fuel burns after the warhead penetrates the target). The new warhead can be tailored to detonate against different kinds of targets—even while the missile is in flight.

The Pentagon is priming this soft-target killer—originally meant to destroy aircraft on runways, fixed radar positions, and above-ground buildings—to destroy for robust targets. "JMEWS will add the ability to defeat hardened targets, such as reinforced bunkers," Donelson says. He says this enhancement will likely be funded as part of the Tomahawk modernization program planned for 2018.

If the money keeps flowing, the modernization plan could turn into a total overhaul of the Tomahawk's communication suite, GPS receiver, and onboard sensors. Raytheon hopes that these upgrades will "ensure the weapon can continue to operate against all threats beyond 2040," Donelson says.